The seats are very tight, but very comfortable. While strongly bolstered against lateral forces, they are well cushioned for long hauls of ordinary driving. The seat design suggests that the IS F may be a performance machine, but it is not strictly one-dimensional. In the cockpit at normal speeds, the IS F does not force the driver to fight cornering forces.
The rear seats also are supportive, side to side, but to a lesser extent. A brief console tray separates the rear-seat passengers, although rear legroom is at a premium. Even if it's a little tight in the back, all four passengers, once strapped in, become involved in the performance orientation of the car.
A rear-seat trunk pass-through is provided, designed with skis in mind.
The interior design plays on contrasts of light and dark, with a black roof liner and two choices of seat colors, white or black with contrasting blue stitching. There is a sophisticated, technical feeling to the layout.
The center stack frames the navigation system, executed in hand-finished aluminized composite surrounding the console and door panel switches. The bright metallic composite material struck us as well executed use of plastic, and probably very expensive to produce, but at the same time, we could see that it is not actually metal.
The center console houses the shifter, which offers both manual and automatic modes. There is no manual transmission available. Purists might suggest that a manual transmission would be a must. However, the Lexus eight-speed automatic offers performance characteristics even a race car driver could appreciate. As with a Formula 1 car, the Lexus IS F can be quickly shifted using a paddle shift arrangement on the steering wheel. The paddle shift method is designed to provide very rapid gear changes up and down, faster than any driver could shift with clutch and lever.
While there is a suitably competent audio system in the LS F, and an option to add the hypnotically superb Mark Levenson Surround Sound system, this is not really that kind of car. Instead, most drivers will prefer to listen to the sounds the car generates.
Visibility is about average for this type of car, with fully adjustable power mirrors. The view through the rear window is not expansive, but remains uncompromised by a wing or other clutter. The HVAC system runs through the navigation screen, a seven-inch touch-screen within easy reach. The navigation screen, an option, supports the audio system, climate control, and backup camera functions.
The instrument panel is compact with two large gauges, speedometer and tachometer, brightly illuminated with neon blue needles sweeping the faces. The tachometer dominates with large numbers and a 7000 rpm redline, tracking to 9000 rpm. There is a small temperature gauge at the bottom of the tachometer.
The speedometer is of equal size but with small numbers, separated at 20-mph increments, progressing up to 180 mph. Top speed is electronically limited to 168 mph. Under the speedometer is a small gas gauge. Between the two large dials is an information display. Using a steering wheel-mounted control, the driver can scroll between outside temperature, fuel consumption, average speed. A lower screen displays gear selection and mode, (D for Drive, M for Manual), plus a voltage meter and oil temp gauge.
Just to the right of the steering wheel, nearly blocked from view, is a small rocker switch that controls the VDIM, or Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management system. This switch is the key to three different handling personalities from this sophisticated electronic stability control system.
Upon startup, the VDIM system defaults to Normal mode with the switch in the middle. In this mode, the vehicle dynamics provides cooperative control based on feedback from throttle, steering, and transmission, among other sources. With VDIM in control, there will be no wheelspin on launches and the driver will experience an uncanny ability to steer through hot corners without losing speed.
Pressing the rocker to the Sport mode permits shifting at higher rpm, makes the throttle more sensitive, adds weight to the steering, and expands the permissible range of lateral acceleration. For a professional driver on a closed course, this mode might yield the fastest lap times.
By holding the switch down for three seconds, it is also possible to completely disable the electronic traction and vehicle stability control. In this mode, only ABS remains active. At this point, the driver is in full command with no safety net, only his own sense of timing and balance to control the car. Now the car can readily be drifted or fishtailed around corners without interference from electronic traction systems. When the VDIM is altered or defeated, an icon is illuminated on the dash.
